Broden Blackstorm
Ser Broden Blackstorm is a major character in the second, third, fourth and fifth seasons. He is the eldest son of Lord Cadwyn Blackstorm of the Iceford. He begins in the series as a mysterious, but skilled and determined mercenary who goes by the name Sharkbait, naming himself as such due to a mysterious incident that took place on his ship, the Stonefish. History Ser Broden Blackstorm was born to Lord Cadwyn Blackstorm and Megan Blackstorm of the Iceford. Cadwyn was Lord of the Iceford at the time, and was clashing with House Greyjoy in an intense naval war, having done so for over five years up until his birth. He grew up, he says, without having any proper introduction to peace or prosperity or serenity, and from the moment he could walk he was taught painfully hard to navigate a ship and to fight hand-to-hand with an opponent, with his father hoping that he would become a great warrior and commander in the upcoming war. When Broden was twelve, he faced battle for the first time upon a ship which he named the Stonefish because the seven masts of the ship were positioned and sharp, precisely like the spines of a stonefish. He preferred commanding a ship as opposed to fighting close-quarters with an enemy, because it provided him with greater control over the situation he was involved in, but when he was forced into combat with an enemy he was disturbingly dangerous. During one expedition when he was fifteen, his ship encountered a Kraken, but though it didn't attack the boat, Broden was both horrified and amazed at the beast's immense size and overwhelming power that would be a result of that size, comparing such an analogy with that of House Greyjoy, since the Kraken was their House Sigil. He became concerned that they were fighting with an opponent too superior to their own, a concern which fell on deaf ears with his father, who was now expecting a daughter. However, Broden eventually relished in the power that combat granted him, and his ability to lead gave him substantial hubris. However, he was capable of lessening such hubris when he deduced that, even though he was proficient and formidable, he was still as mortal as the men he was killing. However, during one fateful battle at Great Wyk, he called a strategy with his fleet which eventually led to them crashing into the island and shipwrecking, where the men aboard who survived were butchered or taken prisoner and tortured by the Greyjoys. This was taken as an immense dishonour by Broden's father, who furiously accosted his son for the failure. As penance, his father ordered him to be the leading ship in the upcoming invasion of Saltcliffe which would replace damage done to their fleet to the damage that would be done to that island. The Stonefish entered the battle, but a violent storm and an impenetrable fog fell on the ocean that night, turning the battle into a brutal, frenzied massacre of ships firing blind at one another, which resulted in mass losses on both sides and eventual Blackstorm victory. Broden's ship was caught in a succession of brutal waves and he was lost from the rest of the fleet, where the ship spent several weeks trapped at sea in the middle of nowhere. Eventually, they ran out of food and became victims to brutal shark attacks that took several of the crew. The crew became heavily convinced that they could use the slaves and the wenches aboard as bait for the sharks to take so that the crew could use the sharks as food. Horrified at this, Broden drew his sword on his own crew, declaring that such a thing would not be done - and if they intended to do it, they could start with him. They pretended to comply with this and, when Broden was asleep, they started using the women as bait anyway. He awoke to see three young women, barely eighteen or twenty, being ripped from their ropes by sharks, who pulled them under in a bloody mess. Horrified by this, Broden brandished his sword and stabbed the man who was commanding the baiting in the back, ordering that they stand back. They responded by tying him up and using him as bait, and just as he was being lowered, the ship hit a rockface and split into several pieces, separating the crew. The sharks reappeared in their dozens and began to attack, killing off all of the crew but Broden, who managed to survive the night, though witnessing the terrifying feasting of his own crew by the sea creatures that was his family sigil. He managed to swim to shore, unopposed, and travelled the South for several years, becoming an excellent hunter and tracker, eventually finding himself in an inn in the Stormlands, where he worked as a peacekeeper, breaking up fights and keeping the peace, in return for money to rent a room at the inn. He was substantially feared, but made sure he did not make a name for himself so as not to attract unwanted attention. Keeping his personal identity a secret so as not to incur the wrath of Lord Stark for being an islander, he announced himself as simply 'Sharkbait', which he believed appropriate for the situation which he eventually faced during the shark attacks on the Stonefish. Season 2 Personality and appearance Broden is sharp-featured, strong and with a constant look of caution. He moved lightly but very quickly, like a trained sailor. His salted hair is brown and shoulder-length, but in some lights it looks the colour of seaweed, and he has shark-blue eyes. He is an unmatched seaman and a skilled warrior. Category:Fanon Characters Category:Warrior Category:Characters from the Iron Islands Category:Male Category:Major Characters